Polychrysia moneta (Fabricius, 1787)


Polychrysia moneta: Adult (e.l. Southern Germany, Iller bei Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Adult (e.l. Southern Germany, Iller bei Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Adult (e.l. Memmingen 2008) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Adult [S] Polychrysia moneta: Young larva (Memmingen) [M] Polychrysia moneta: Young larva (eastern Swabian Alb, May 2013) [M] Polychrysia moneta: Half-grown larva [S] Polychrysia moneta: Half-grown larva (Southern Germany, Iller near Memmingen, 2012) [M] Polychrysia moneta: Half-grown larva (Southern Germany, Iller near Memmingen, 2012) [M] Polychrysia moneta: Half-grown larvae (Iller near Memmingen, Germany) [M] Polychrysia moneta: Half-grown larva (Memmingen) [M] Polychrysia moneta: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Polychrysia moneta: Larva in last instar [M] Polychrysia moneta: Larva [M] Polychrysia moneta: Larva (e.l. Southern Germany, Iller near Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Larva (e.l. Southern Germany, Iller near Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Larva in last instar (river Iller near Memmingen) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Cocoon [S] Polychrysia moneta: Cocoon (e.l. Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Pupa [S] Polychrysia moneta: Pupa (e.l. Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Pupa (e.l. Memmingen 2012) [S] Polychrysia moneta: Pupa [S] Polychrysia moneta: Shelter of a young larva at Aconitum vulparia (eastern Swabian Alb, May 2013) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Young larva in the shelter of the preceding image [M] Polychrysia moneta: Larval shelter at Aconitum variegatum (river Iller near Memmingen, S-Germany, May 2013) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Shelter of a half-grown larva (Aichstetten near Leutkirch, May 2013) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Larva from the shelter of the preceding image  [M] Polychrysia moneta: Shelter of an older larva: the leaf wilts because the larva gnows the basal leaf veins (river Iller near Memmingen, S-Germany, June 2013) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Shelter of an older larva: the leaf wilts because the larva gnows the basal leaf veins (river Iller near Memmingen, S-Germany, June 2013) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Shelter of an older larva: the leaf wilts because the larva gnows the basal leaf veins (river Iller near Memmingen, S-Germany, June 2013) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Feeding pattern of the mature larva: wilting leaves of Aconitum variegatum that are almost bitten through at the leaf stem (Iller near Memmingen, Germany) [N] Polychrysia moneta: Habitat near river Iller (Memmingen, S-Germany, May 2013) [N]

Host plants:
The larva feeds on Aconitum species, in contrast to Euchalcia variabilis both Aconitum vulparia and A. variegatus/A. napellus.

Habitat:
Polychrysia moneta inhabits riparian forests, ravine woodlands, alpine forb communities to over 2000m above sea level, gardens close to forests and other occurrences of the larval host plant.

Life cycle:
The L1-caterpillar overwinters, probably without having fed. The caterpillar is usually found from late April or May to late June or July in the Alps. They are young mostly spun in the growing point of the Aconitum plant in some decimeter in height (observed in Aconitum napellus and A. variegatus). Even when fully-grown, the larvae web leaves together or make them wilt by biting through the stem. This probably has an influence on the chemical ingredients.
The moths fly in July and August, rarely already in late June or still in September.

Endangerment: endangered

Endangerment factors:
Polychrysia moneta is locally endangered through dark forest management. Spruce, but also artificially dense maple and beech plantations are ecologically not senseful in riparian or ravine forests, at least not outside of the higher mountains.

Remarks:
Polychrysia moneta occurs locally across Southern and Central Europe to east Asia.


German version / deutsche Version